If I Can't Have You
by wheninriverdale
Summary: Very AU. Archie Andrews is dead. The only leading suspect is one of his oldest and dearest friends, Jughead Jones. Betty Cooper is forced on a mission to find Jughead and bring him in, getting herself kidnapped throughout the process. Everything is a lie and nothing is the truth in this twisted tale of love and death.
1. Chapter 1

_It was like any other Friday night. Archie Andrews sat along with the other cronies at the bar, nursing a half empty beer bottle. His ginger hair was pushed back in a way that screamed, "I'm trying too hard to make it seem like I'm not trying at all." His hand was on the knee of the leggy brunette beside him, their heads bent together in a private conversation. The woman threw her head back and laughed, and the man in the beanie at the corner booth wondered what was so incredibly funny._

 _Red hot anger coursed through Jughead Jones' veins as he watched the scene unfold before him. He wanted to take the ginger out then and there in the Starlight Bar, but he had to hold himself back. 'Just a few more hours' he would remind himself. Jughead made sure the waiter kept the glasses of coke and the fry baskets coming. This was a stake out unlike any other he'd been on before._

 _Usually Jughead would never let himself be caught dead in the Starlight. His domain was the Whyte Wyrm, back in their home town of Riverdale. But he had more important things to do than toss back a few beers and play some pool. He had only one thing on his mind and it was getting Archie alone._

 _Jughead took a break from staring sulkily at Archie and went to the bathroom. Three cokes later and he couldn't hold it any longer. He held his head low, staring at his shoes as he walked past the ginger hoping Archie wouldn't notice him. Just when he thought he'd cleared customs Archie called over his back, "Jughead! What are you doing out here?" His voice was higher than normal and he quickly removed his hand from the brunette's leg._

" _Hey Arch." He started out, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I just decided it was time for a change of scenery." Jughead's eyes flickered to the brunette in the tiny black dress. "I guess that makes two of us, huh?" He turned on his heel and continued for the restroom, not bothering to hear Archie's reply._

" _Wait Jughead, I can explain!" Jughead ignored his old friend and kept on walking._

 _When he returned from taking a piss Archie and the nameless girl were gone. Swearing under his breath he left more than enough cash on the table to cover his bill and headed outside, hoping he could catch them before they left._

 _Thanking his lucky stars Jughead watched with livid eyes as Archie held the door open for the woman, giving her ass a tight squeeze before shutting the door behind her. Jughead snuck around the building to his beat up old Cadillac and hopped in, waiting a few minutes and following them into the night._

 _They parked outside an old brick house and let the car idle. Jughead was careful to park one street over, attempting to stay undetected by the pair. He imagined what they were doing; probably tangled up in each other's arms as they fucked on the curb outside her house. It figured she'd be a cheating whore. And to think Jughead thought opposites attracted. Definitely not in this twisted storyline._

 _He tore his thoughts away from Archie and pulled a book out from his glove box, wondering how much longer he'd have to wait. His fingers started to shake and he reached for the pack of smokes wasting away in the pocket of his leather jacket. He couldn't risk the jitters. Not now when literally everything was on the line. After tonight there would be no going back to the life he lived before. But it was worth every promise that was yet to come. Jughead would finally have a chance to be happy. He took a few relaxing puffs from his and threw his head forward on his steering wheel, trying to steady his racing heart._

 _The squealing of tires on the asphalt pulled Jughead back to reality. "Fuck." He muttered, turning the key in the ignition and racing after Archie, desperately trying to catch up. He couldn't have gotten far, but the sooner the dirty deed was done, the better._

 _Familiar taillights of Archie's mustang soon appeared in Jughead's windshield and he breathed a sigh of relief. His heart was hammering away in his chest, refusing to let up. He could hear the blood flow in his ears and his fingers began to throb. In need of a distraction he turned the volume up on the radio, anything to drown out his thoughts._

 _Was he really about commit the worst felony known to mankind? To take the life of another living, breathing human being? His world was spinning, turning upside down and his stomach clenched in thousands of tiny little knots. He cursed himself for eating two baskets of fries. Ketchup was not going to taste very good when it undoubtedly came back up._

 _Jughead sped up to Achie's vehicle, the brake lights gleaming like rubies under the dark night sky. He took a deep breath and grabbed the police light he'd nicked from Kevin Keller down at the sheriff's office. Opening his window, Jughead stuck it to the roof of his car, igniting the surrounding trees in shimmering flashes of red, white and blue. He found the irony of the entire situation hilarious and threw his head back laughing. There was no turning back now._

 _Archie pulled off to the side of the road and Jughead followed, leaving a few feet between their bumpers. He flipped the switch on the light of justice and stepped out of the car._

 _Jughead grabbed a pair of black leather gloves from the back pocket of his jeans and slid them on over his fingers, surprised to find the shaking had stopped. He walked over to Archie's driver side window with a smile on his face as he reached for the handle. "What the fuck?" Archie said, Jughead surprised to find the door unlocked. "You're not the cops."_

 _A deep chuckle escaped from the back of Jughead's throat. "Obviously. But you were speeding." Jughead sniffed the air. "And drinking and driving too. Not so smart Old Sport."_

 _Annoyance gleamed over the curves of Archie's face. "Can I go now?" he asked. He tried to close the car door but Jughead forced it open wider._

" _Not so fast. Who was the girl?"_

 _Archie's eyebrows shot up and he choked on his next words. "J-Just a friend from work. We met up for a couple of drinks. What's with the third degree?"_

" _No degree. Just natural curiosity, its human nature to be curious Arch," Jughead paused and inhaled deeply. "So tell me, does your fiancé know about your friend in the little black dress?" Jughead swore he could see Archie pale before his eyes. He was already of a ghostly complexion, but now he was almost transparent._

 _Archie gripped the door handle tighter, trying harder to force it closed but Jughead refused to budge. "No. And from one friend to another, I'd really like to keep it that way Jug. Please. I promise that woman means nothing to me. Don't tell Betty."_

 _He didn't know what came over him but at the sound of Betty's name Jughead absolutely lost it. He lunged for Archie, desperate to twist his fingers around his neck. If he was going to kill Archie, he was going to make him suffer._

 _Jughead had his knee bent into Archie's groin. His hands were clamped around his throat and he could see the light draining from Archie's eyes. He was doing it. He was going to kill him. "Any last words, Archiekins?"_

 _Archie opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He was flailing under Jughead's hold, trying to force and shove him away but the alcohol in his veins slowed down his reaction time. Finally he got in a punch to Jughead's jaw, creating stars behind his eyes. It took every ounce of strength in him but Jughead refused to let go, tightening the grip around Archie's neck. His arms began to shake as he forced all his weight upon his old friend. He thought Archie would've put up a better fight than this. It was pitiful on the brink of pathetic._

" _Do you want to die? Fight me Archie! Punch me! Hit me!" Archie writhed underneath him, trying to squirm out of Jughead's grasp but to no avail. It wasn't supposed to be this easy. Tears spilled from the corners of Archie's eyes and rolled slowly down his hollowed cheeks. He threw a punch into Jughead's stomach and the brunette sputtered, loosening his grip only slightly. "That the best you got?" He spit in Archie's face. Jughead was going to be sick. In a million years he never would've guessed this side of him existed. Sure he'd been a rather angry kid growing up, but he never imagined he'd be capable of murder. His stomach coiled, rolling over itself but Jughead forced the feeling away. He was going to finish this._

 _A few more seconds dragged on and Archie's attempts to break free slowed. The strength in his body was depleting. His eyes rolled back into his head, his limp body falling back against the leather interior._

 _Jughead removed his hands from around his neck. Archie's throat was bruised and beaten but Jughead didn't care. He needed to get the fuck out of there. Carefully, he set Archie's leg back into the car and Jughead closed the door, running back to his car. Thank God they lived in a small town, not a single car had driven by to witness the horrifying scene._

 _Once back inside his Caddy, Jughead tossed the gloves into this back seat. His palms were clammy and his forehead was dripping with sweat. He reached for the beanie on top of his head and threw it up on the dash. Starting his car he drove away, his hands slipping over the wheel as he did._

 _About a mile or so down the road Jughead stopped and pulled over. He couldn't hold it in any longer. Running into the trees he emptied the contents of his stomach into the grass, gripping the nearest tree trunk for support. His legs were quivering and his heart felt like a ticking time bomb, reminding him of an old poem by Edgar Allen Poe. The events of the evening would surely haunt him for the rest of his life._

 _His throat burned and ached and he ran the back of his hand across his mouth to remove any excess throw up from his lips. He stood up tall, desperately straining to slow down the beating of his heart._

 _With shaky hands he reached into the front pocket of his jeans and flipped open his phone. He pressed number one for speed dial and waited as the shrilling ring echoed in his ear. His breath hitched when the phone on the other line picked up. Everything was silent._

 _Jughead breathed into the receiver. "It's done," he whispered, and the line clicked dead._


	2. Chapter 2

Betty was sitting at her desk when the wanted poster landed in her inbox. "Do you know where we might be able to find him?"

She picked up the paper, hot off the press and scrutinized the face of the man staring back at her. Suddenly the walls were caving in and her throat felt like sand paper. Betty couldn't believe it. Those eyes that same crooked smirk, the unruly curls falling into his face, and that stupid hat. He was 25 years old, in her opinion he really needed to let that thing go.

"No." Betty said, face showing no emotion. "Why, what did he do?"

Kevin Keller pulled out the empty chair across from Betty and sat down. He reached over her desk and placed his hand over hers, a sympathetic gesture that Betty found welcoming. "We think he had something to do with Archie's death."

Betty swallowed the dry lump in her throat at the sound of her fiancé's name. She told herself she wouldn't cry anymore over him, at least not in public. It had been a little over a month since the murder and she'd been trying her best to move on with her life. It was a lot harder than she thought it would be.

"I think that assumption is a little far-fetched, don't you think Kevin?" She grabbed the water bottle next to her laptop and took a sip. Wow, it was hot in her little office. She stared at the drawing some more, captivated by those haunting, pencil drawn eyes she knew so well.

"It's Jughead, he's capable of anything." Kevin sighed heavily and dropped his gaze. "I need you to do me a favor Betty…"

Betty paced circles around the island in her kitchen, practically burrowing a path in the hardwood floor. She'd bitten her nails to the point where they were bleeding. How could Kevin do this to her? Wasn't there a conflict of interest here, having Betty investigate the murder of her fiancé?

She hung her head in her hands, ripping the ponytail from hair and flexing it between her thumbs. The ponytail slipped and she watched it fly across the room, landing silently on the floor near the table. She curled her fingers into her fists like she used to when she was younger. Thankfully, she had no nails left to reopen the scars that littered her palms.

During her next lap around her island, Betty stopped just short of the fridge and opened the cabinet above and to the left. She peered inside, reaching up and grabbing the familiar orange pill bottle. Her hands were shaking as she opened it up, popping two little orange tablets into her mouth. They hit the back of her throat and Betty swallowed them dry. She gripped the countertop, hating herself for having to succumb to the prescription drugs she hadn't taken in months. She despised feeling powerless.

Betty was about to place the pill bottle back in the cabinet before having second thoughts and pocketing them instead. If she was going to have to force herself to search out Jughead and ultimately solve the murder of her beloved Archie, she was going to need all the drugs she could lay her hands on.

She grabbed herself a glass of water, sipping slowly as she waited for the drugs to settle in. Glancing around her little two bedroom home her heart ached. Ever since Archie's murder she no longer was capable of being alone in the dark. Every light was turned on in the kitchen and the living room beyond. The brightness was harsh to her sleep deprived eyes but Betty couldn't handle turning them off. She was afraid Archie's ghost would return just to haunt her; to ruin her life in the wake of his death, just as he did when he was alive.

Archie and Betty were the perfect All-American couple. They'd grown up as next door neighbors, forced into each other lives at the mere age of two. Betty had loved Archie since she was seven, and he brought her a princess Band-Aid to cover her scraped knee when she'd fallen off her bike, trying to keep up with him and Jughead. He'd kissed her knee, telling her it was all better and Betty was crushed.

Throughout high school he serial dated every girl in their grade, even the hot young teacher that came to town. Everyone had gotten a taste besides Betty and it drove her to the brink of insanity. No matter how hard she tried to be perfect, Archie refused to see her as the girl she could be for him. It wasn't until after she dated and broke up with his best friend Jughead that Archie fell under her charming spell.

But Betty was never enough for Archie.

They dated for five years, long distance as they went their separate ways for college. As soon as they returned to their hometown Archie popped the question and Betty, without hesitation accepted the princess cut ring he forced upon her finger.

It wasn't long until they moved in together, getting used to the pre-married life when Betty started to notice Archie's web of lies. He'd come home in the wee hours of the morning, reeking of scotch and cheap perfume. Betty swallowed the pain the first time she saw the smeared red lipstick on his collar.

Red was never her color.

When she tried to confront him about it she'd be met with the slap of his hand across her cheek. He'd call her a jealous bitch and a child. "This is what you wanted Betty!" He'd scream in her face.

But without Betty, Archie was nothing. His parents were divorced and his father had nothing left to his name when an old business venture went south back in high school. Betty was his key to a solid a future, the perfect cookie-cutter American dream family that everyone wanted but no one ever got.

Four months before their wedding Betty threatened to leave him if he didn't quit the drinking and the sleeping around behind her back. Despite his abuse she still loved him something awful. But Archie never stopped and thought about what Betty asked of him. And the night she tried to leave he pulled her by her golden ponytail and shoved her against the wall. "If you leave me, I'll kill you."

Betty fell to the floor in her kitchen, clutching the glass of water in her hand afraid it may spill. She tried and failed to hold back the tears as they fell. This wasn't the way things were supposed to be. She'd wanted so much more out of life but all she'd gotten was the bad end of Lifetime movie drama.

Archie's icy tone still woke her up at night, shaking in a cold sweat. It wasn't until that moment that she realized she wasn't safe, that she'd never be safe.

She walked on eggshells around Archie after he'd threatened her life, afraid to set him off again. She knew what he was capable of, but she never imagined he'd be capable of murder.

Weeks went by into months as their wedding loomed closer. Betty forced herself to focus on the details of the caterers, the dress and the cake, spending all the time she could away from home, away from him. She dropped fifteen pounds in a month without trying, and when she looked in the mirror, nothing but hollowed cheeks and sunken eyes stared back.

Everyone blamed the stress of the wedding, but Archie knew. And Archie thrived off her fear.

Just two weeks before the wedding Betty received a call at 3 a.m, waking her from troubled sleep. She felt the sheets beside her and they were cold.

She answered the phone with a yawn. In the background of the call she heard sirens and her heart dropped like a bomb to her stomach.

" _Betty? Betty it's me. It's Kevin. I don't know how to tell you this but Archie-"_ The phone line filled with static and she missed the last of what he said.

" _Kevin what? I'm sorry my signal is terrible. What's wrong?"_ She stepped out of bed and paced down the hallway, flicking on every light as fled her way into the kitchen.

A groan sounded through the receiver. " _Betty, Archie's dead."_

Betty placed a hand over her eyes and cried as she sat on the cold kitchen floor, the memories flooding her mind like a hurricane. She didn't cry for Archie, no. She cried for herself. She was finally free.

She grabbed hold of the counter for support as she brought herself back up to her feet. Her hands trembled as she finished the glass of water, setting in the sink. With shaky knees she walked down the hall and turned the corner into her room.

There at the foot of her bed was a suitcase full of clothes. She eyed the floral bag with remorse and reached down to the clutch the handle. It was time to go find Jughead.


End file.
